DP163: Fighting Ire with Fire!

Synopsis

On their way to the Sunyshore Gym and Ash's next battle, our heroes come across their friend Barry. He shows off all eight of the Badges he's earned, which prove he's ready to compete in the Sinnoh League! Paul is on the scene, too, and he's also won eight Badges. Barry challenges Paul to a battle on the spot, but Paul refuses, suggesting Barry battle Ash instead. Barry would rather take on Paul, but when Barry discovers that Ash has previously battled Paul in a full battle, he changes his mind and challenges Ash.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket has decided to try a new approach: catch the heroes first to get them out of the way, and then catch their Pokémon. It appears to work! Pikachu, Piplup, and Barry's Empoleon are caught and held captive. But, while Barry and Ash are battling, Monferno becomes enraged, thanks to an out-of-control Blaze ability! Ash reasons with Monferno to calm it down, only to get a big surprise when it evolves into Infernape! Infernape saves Pikachu, Piplup, and Empoleon, and proves to be a powerful and quick Pokémon in its own right.

Paul tells Ash he will battle him in the upcoming Sinnoh League. But first, Ash knows he must set his sights on winning his eighth Badge at the Sunyshore Gym!

Debuts

Items

• Beacon Badge

Pokémon

• Ash's Infernape

Trivia

• Professor Oak's Pokémon lecture: Donphan
• Team Rocket narrates the preview for the next episode.
• This is the last episode to be produced by OLM/OLM Digital. Team Kato tooks over the animation duties starting from DP164 and onwards.
• As of this episode, Ash, Paul, and Barry have all three final forms of the Sinnoh starter Pokémon between them.
• This marks the first time since the original series that a rival of Ash's shows off all his Badges, only some of which are similar to Ash's.
• The children's story "The Little Engine that Could" is referenced by Meowth when he says that they will be known as the "Team Rocket that could."
• Ready Go! is played during the scene Monferno evolves.
• A combined, animated as well as live action version of Which One ~ Is It? is used as the ending theme.
• As of this episode, all forms of all Sinnoh starter Pokémon have made their appearance in the anime series.
• In an initial announcement for this episode, TV Tokyo's website incorrectly stated that Barry had won the Coal Badge from the Sunyshore Gym. This was corrected a day later, stating instead that Barry won the Beacon Badge from the Sunyshore Gym.
• Similar to two other episodes, this episode's English title is based on the phrase fighting fire with fire. Coincidentally, one of those two episodes also features the evolution of one of Ash's Pokémon and was in the Diamond & Pearl series.
• When Meowth says when Team Rocket is blasting off, "There's No place like home," he may be referring to the movie The Wizard of Oz.
• This is the first Episode where when Team Rocket recites their motto infront of Barry where he didn't interupt them.

Errors

• In one scene, a man has green sclera in his eye instead of white.
• After Ash tells Barry about his problems with perfecting Gible's Draco Meteor, the lace-like pattern on Empoleon's belly is missing the black spots. They later reappear while Empoleon is sitting in the same position.
• When Ash's Monferno was about to use Dig during his battle with Barry's Empoleon, Monferno has only four fingers.
• In the beginning of the battle between Ash and Barry, Barry says that he and his Empoleon had the type advantage (Water over Fire), however he did not consider that his Empoleon is also a Steel type, that is weak to both types of Monferno, plus removing Empoleon's Water-type resistance to Fire, neither of the two had an advantage.

Gallery

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